Nick Brunner

Modern Music Director

Nick Brunner grew up in rural Illinois with his sister, parents and a vast expanse of corn. He discovered NPR in college when he was hired to work at WGLT-FM in Normal, Illinois (the real name of a real town). That’s where he came to appreciate the colors public radio painted amid a drab and predictable broadcast landscape.

Nick's delusions of sophistication often don't match his modest lifestyle and as a result, he spends time trying to find just the right wine to accompany Tuna Helper ... a Shiraz works well.

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Cutting edge bands local, national and worldwide. Whether you’re looking to start your record collection or touch up the fringes, Nick Brunner leads you through two hours of Modern Music Discovery.

Stories by Nick Brunner

How June Swoon singer Juli Lydell started swimming in surrender
February 3, 2023
Stream June Swoon's new song "Passover" and hear Juli Lydell speak about how surrendering control and wrangling her OCD influenced her upcoming sophomore record.
NorCal Tiny Desk Contestant videos we love this year (a nowhere-near-complete list)
May 5, 2022
From bedrooms to studios, concert spaces to cliff walls, musicians from around Northern California shared their original songs in NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. CapRadio’s 2022 panel rounds up (some) of our very favorites.
The post-punk art rock origins of Sacramento’s DEFEM
December 3, 2021
How Shintoism, learning (almost) totally new instruments and Swedish abstractionist painting led to one of Sacramento’s most exciting new bands.
New York duo Sky Creature discuss their start, touring and shooting their new music video on a sinking ship
November 30, 2021
Matt Walsh and former Bay Area musician Majel Connery, the duo behind New York band Sky Creature, are debuting the music video ‘No One’ here on CapRadio. We connected with them about the video, touring and why they embrace being hard to categorize.
La Luz Return To Sacramento (And The Stage) After Two Years
September 10, 2021
La Luz is finally able to perform live again and the psyche rock band’s first show is the annual Red Museum fundraiser this Saturday.
Our Favorite Northern California Tiny Desk Entries For 2021
August 30, 2021
In anticipation for the winner of NPR’s annual contest, CapRadio contributors round up their favorite entries from Northern California.
A ‘Wallflower’ Finds Creative Motivation. Basi Vibe Discusses New Music Video
August 20, 2021
Modern Music Director Nick Brunner connected with Basi Vibe to talk about repping Sacramento, staying motivated, and his new music video "Wallflower," which Nick called “Everything good about the moment, the groove feels like summer.”
Love, Real Life and Roller Skates: Camilla Covington Discusses Their New EP
July 30, 2021
Sacramento songwriter and vocalist Camilla Covington knocked us out with their 2019 Tiny Desk entry. Their debut EP released earlier this summer and she lets us in on what inspired this new collection of songs.
I Am Strikes On Embracing Yourself
June 4, 2021
Modern Music Director Nick Brunner spoke with I Am Strikes (aka Kelly Rosenthal) to talk about her musical inclinations as a child learning songs on a one-string ukulele, and why being yourself as an artist and a person is so important.
Sacramento Band Best Move On What It’s Like Releasing Music During A Pandemic
May 21, 2021
Best Move just recently released their new five-song EP Mirror Image Twins on May 7. Back in February, Modern Music Director Nick Brunner sat down with two-thirds of the Sacramento-based trio, Kris Anaya and Joseph Davancens.

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